Optical device



Feb. 20, 1940. E. M. BRAN SON 2,190,646

OPTICAL DEVICE Filed May 21. 1937 v 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 YOU T ME 5Z'as/XE/WHaQ/Z E. M. BRANSON OPTICAL DEVICE Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 21,1957 Patented Feb. 20,1940

UNITED STATES or'ncet new Ellis M. Branson, Orlando, Fla; v ApplicationMay 21, 1937, Serial rid-143,923" l 4 (c1. ss- -zsy 9 The presentinvention relates in general to {an optical device, and is moreparticularly concerned'with an improved stereoscope of such constructionthat it may be folded, when not in use, so as to effect a relativelythinpackage or envelope suitable for mailing, if desired; and which maybereadily unfolded to bring the lenses and associated parts into operativerela tionship, when it is desired to utilize the same.

10 It is also an object of the present invention to provide noveladvertising means for disseminating information.

A further object is to provide novel means for entertainment,instruction, and education;

A further object is to provide novel mailable message bearing means andmailable souvenirs.

A further object of the inventionis to provide a simplified andeconomical means for reproduc ing, transmitting, and preserving naturalvision.

Another object is toprovide an improved mailing piece or advertisingmedium, wherein indicia such as pictures and the like associated there-'with may be viewed in relief. r

A still further object is to provide an optical device of the characterdescribed which may be manufactured at a. low cost, which may, beknocked down so as to take up arelatively small space, when not in use;and in which the various parts may be readily moved to, assembledoperative relationship, when it isdesire'd to use T lenses respectivelydisposed for viewing the:

above-mentioned windows. The hinged section is held in operativerelation 'to the windows by means of lateralwings hinged to the lateralmargins of the envelope, these wings being swingable topositionssubstantially at right, an-

gles to the envelope and connectible through appropriate means such astongue and slot connections to the hinged section containingthe lenses,With the device thus set up, various complementary pictures or otherindiciamay be disposed in the windows and viewed in relief through thelenses.

In; order to provide means whereby a series of pictures or otherindicia: may be displayed, a strip or card having the pictures on itssurface is disposed for slid-ingmovement in the envelope. By shiftingthe'card longitudinally to with- 5 draw it from the open end of-theenvelope, the

pictures may be successively brought into view through the windows. Whenthe device is to be knocked down for mailing or other purpose, thelateral wings are l0 wings may be inwardly folded to lappingly over- 15lie the lenses and associated wing. The three wings thus disposed areheldllll position by an end flap of the envelope'which maybe secured byappropriate meansin a position closing theopen end of theenvelopefandoverlying 20 the outermost of the folded wingsp i With the*parts? in knocked-down relationship, a flatmailing piece is formed withample surfac'e for addressing, etc'., provided.

Other objects and features "of the invention 25 Y will more fully appearfrom the following detailed description, taken in connectionwith theaccompanying drawings, which illustrate several embodiments thereof, andin which: I

Figure 1' is a plan view looking at one side of 30 e the device, theparts being in knocked-down relationship, and showing the manner inwhich this side may beutilized for mailing purposes;

Figure 2 is afplanview on the opposite side of the same, showing themanner in which the 35 various wing portions are folded and securedtogethen Figure 3 is a plan view of the same showing the device openedup prior to its'being assembled intoioperative positiom. i 40 Figure 4is an enlarged fragmentary view showing the manner in whichathe wingsare assembled and connected with the lenses in op erative position toview the windows of the device;

Figure 5 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view on the same, takensubstantially on line V--V of'Figure 4; j

Figure 6 isa transverse sectional view of'the same, taken substantiallyon line VI,VI of Fig 507 ure4;- w a Figure 715 an enlarged fragmentaryplan view of 'the indicia carrying strip or card;

Figure 8 is a plan View of a modified form of lens arrangementj andPATENT O FI 1 Figure 9 is a longitudinal sectional view through thesame, taken substantially on line IXIX of Figure 8.

As shown on the drawings:

The main body portion of the device is in the form of an envelope havinga pocket III which is formed from a single sheet of material by foldingthe marginal edges upon itself to form a main back portion I I andinwardly extending portions I2 and I3 defining the forward wall of theenvelope pocket.

Secured to the outer surface of the portions I2 and I 3 is a singlesheet of material having j a main portion I4 which is co-extensive withthe envelope portion and which is secured to the portions I2 and I3 inany appropriate manner as by gluing or otherwise.

The sheet fromwhich the main portion I4 is constructed is laterallyextended to form wings I5 and I6 which extend beyond the lateral edgesof the envelope and are provided with fold lines I1 and I8 which arecoincident with the lateral edges of the envelope.

At the open end of the envelope, as shown in Figure 5, the sheet fromwhich the portion I4 and wings I5 and I6' are formed, is bent back uponitself to form an overlying section I9 which is glued or otherwisesecured to the outer face of the portion I 4.

The portion I9 is extended to form a flap or wing portion made up ofhinged sections 20 and 2 I, the sections 20 and 2| being integrallyformed and joined at. a bend line 22. The section 20 is integrallyformed with the portion I9 and is ar ranged to bend on a .bend line 23.

The associated portions I4 and I9 are provided with spaced square orrectangular opening 24 and 25 which give entrance to the envelope.

pocket.

It will be observed that the lateral edges 25' and 26 of the section 20are in convergingre l-ation from points substantially at the bend line23 to the bend line 22 so as to bring the end edges of section 2| intoinwardly spaced position relative to bendlines I1. and I8 respectively.

As shown in Figure 3, the sections 20 and 2| are provided with asubstantially elliptical opening 21 in the section 29 which iscontracted at one end to form a displaced cut-out portion 28 in thesection 2|. The purpose of this opening will be more readily apparentfrom the subsequent description.

The section- 2| has fitted therein a pair of spaced lenses 29 and 30which are arranged, when the sections 20 and 2| are properly folded, aswill hereafter be explained in detail, to be cooperatively associatedwith the windows 24 and 25 to form an optical device commonly known as astereoscope.

As shown in'Figures 4 and 5, the section 2| is formed by bending the endmargin of the material back upon itself to form outside layers 3| and 32which are disposed on opposite sides of a lens holding strip 33 of anysuitable material such as cardboard, metal, fiber, 0r moldable plasticmaterial such as Celluloid.

The Celluloid strip adjacent itsends is provided with circular apertures34 and35 for receiving the lenses 29 and 3B. The layers of material 3|.and 32 are likewise provided with aligned apertures of slightly lessdiameters than t the apertures in the lens holding strip so that as toretain them within the openings of the As shown in Figures 3 and 5, theexposed surface of portion I9 and marginal portion of section 20 toadjacent bend line 23' are preferably covered with a black paint orother material 4|) so as to surround the window openings 25 and .25 witha surface'which will not have a tendency to reflect light into thelenses 23 and 3B, vwhen the device is beingused. Also, this blackenedarea .tends to render the areas surrounding the windows substantiallyinvisible or at least unnoticeable as the indicia in the windows isbeing viewed. These windows produce the effect of looking throughopenings at a distant scene or other indicia, and the black areasgreatly accentuate the picture.

When the device is assembled to bring the parts-into position to form astereoscope, the section 20 is swung to a position substantiallyvertical to the envelope proper, and the section 2| is swung to bringthe lenses over the windows 24 and 25, the section2| being substantiallyat right angles to the section 20 in this position. The wings I5 and II;are then swung to positions substantially at right angles to .theenvelope proper and the notches 37 and 38 are connectingly associatedwith the notches 39 of the wings I5 and I6. It will thus be seen that abox-like arrangement is thus formed and that when complementary indiciasuch as pictures are disposed in the windows 24 and 25, these pictureswill be viewed through the lenses 29 and 30 in relief.

I In looking-through the lenses, it will be apparent that the eyes maybe easily disposed over the lenses and that there'will be nointerference with the nose or other portions of the face, since the nosemay project through opening 21' and the opening 28 in section 2| is soformed as to conveniently fit over the arch of the nose.

' In order to provide for the disposing of successive sets of picturesor other indicia in the windows 24 and 25, there is normally'disposed inthe pocket Ill of the envelope a strip or card 4| which will besupported in the envelope for longitudinal sliding movement and may beWithdrawn. The lateral margins on this card bear aligned sets ofpictures 42 and 43, or other indicia, which are spaced apart and formcomplementary sets such that when a picture or indicia-in the row 42 isdisposed in window 24 a complementary picture in row 43 will be disposedin window 25. It will, therefore, be evident that as the card 4| iswithdrawn from the envelope'successive pictures will be presented in theviewing windows. Since these pictures or indicia may be viewed throughthe lens s 29 and 3|)"as in the customary stereoscope, the compositepicture as seen will be in relief and give the illusion'of depth.

. While inthe present instance only one card is described as beingdisposed in the pocket of the envelope, it will be readily apparent thata number of cards may be placed therein.

aieaes Althou h the pictures "or other indicia; "are shown in;,Figure; 7asbeing; isposed on 1 118 01162 surface of the card=-4l:,, it is:contemplated'that these indicia may be: disposed on: bothfsurfaces. of,

. the cardif desired: 1 indicia5may;.fonex= ample, comprise photographs;drawings; and I etc.

- which may bepastedi. or otherwise. secured to the card surfaces.-However, where theeindicia are to be arranged on both sides of thecard,,I'

have found itfdesirable.toprovidez aunitary-con- 1 structiongby makingthe card 4| of aurelatively heavy paper or. other suitablematerial whichis? coated onbotlr surfacesrwith'a light sensitive emulsion so. that thepictures. or otherindicia may be printeddirectl'y on: the cardrf'romsuitable negatives. Of course, this'methodmay also if,

desired, beutilized'whe're the indicia'appears on only one surface ofthecard. i

As shown in Figure 5, it will be observed that the uppermost end of theback member I I is pro vided with an integrally formed flap 144 having"at its free edge a tongue 45. When'using the This end of the envelope isfurther strengthened by, providing segmental wing portions 48 and 49 atits ends which are bent around and,

glued or. otherwise secured to the back portion I l at this end.

As shown in Figure 3, the flap 44 and section I!) and the associatedlayers of the envelope are cut out as shown at 50 and 5| to enable thecard 4! to be easily gripped and withdrawn from the envelope.

Referring to Figure-3, it will be noted that the wing portions l5 and I6are provided with notches similar to notch 46, these notches beingindicated at 52 and 53. Also, the lowermost ends of these wings areprovided with projecting tongue portions 54 and 55, the purpose of whichwill subsequently be evident.

When it is desired to disassemble or knockdown the device so that it maybeplaced in a small space for mailing or other purpose, the section 2!is disconnected from the side wings l5 and Hi. The sections 20 and 2|may then be moved to a position where these sections, lie insubstantially the same plane and are disposed along the exposed surfaceof section l4. The

wings I5 and It may then be moved so as to lappingly overlie'sectionsZ0- and 2L, The'wings are held in this position by inserting the tongueportionsthereof 54 and 55 unde'rthe section 41 which may readily beaccomplished since this section is glued only at its end portions. Theflap M is then folded over the wing sections 15 and I5, asshown inFigure 2, and the tongue 45 inserted into the slots 52 and 53 which arein registration. With thisarrangement, the device,

is held in disassembled or knocked-down condition and may be sentthrough the mails or disposed of as desired.

It will be noted that when the flap 44 is in the position justdescribed, this flap also serves to close the open end of the envelopeand retain the card 4| therein.

As a modification of the lens structure and lens mounting in section 2|:previously ,described, a

modified arrangement is proposed, wherein the lenses and supportingstrip maybe integrally formed-as shown in Figures Sand 9'. i i

In the modified arrangement, the strip 3;3"-,is constructed or a:moldable- .plasticmaterial; for examplefCelluloid; Instead of, however,providing independent. glass lenses, in thisinstancethe supporting,stripis provided with; thickened por I tions 2.9"and 30" which aresoyformed as to protvide integrally formed lenses. 1 In. this arrange-jmaterially simplified and the lenses maybe promerit, the lensconstruction and mounting eluted at a' very much lower cost than. ifglass l lenses are provided. In the modified structure, the :moldableplastic material would be placed in a suitable die and molded so astointegrallyform iii.

the lens portion as well as the lensmounting strip, which is similarlynotched at its ends as in the lens supporting strip previouslydescribed.

Although the present invention has been described in connection with amailing piece, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the imf vention may with equal facility. be utilized in other arrangements.Also, it will be readily apparent that instead of utilizing picturestobe viewed through the lenses, other indioia may be used.

From the foregoing description, it will be apparent that the presentinvention provides novel means for entertainment, instruction andeducation; novel mailable message bearing means and mailable souvenirs;a simplified and economical means for reproducing, transmitting andpreserving natural vision; a novel optical device which may be utilizedfor disseminating information such as advertising matter; a novel devicewherein a. stereoscope is combined with a mailing I have described indetail apreferred andrnodifled form of theinvention, the invention willnot be thus limited, but only insofar as defined by the scope and spiritof the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. In;a device of the character described, a mailing piece, a hingedwing on thefmailing piece, a pair of lenses carried by said wing adaptedto be disposed in spaced relationto the mailing piece and contiguousthereto, laterally disposed wings onsaid mailing piece arranged to befolder over said first wing to retainthe lenses contiguous tothe mailingpiece and turnable to sub stantially' right angled relation to themailing piece to engage said hinged wing to support said lenses inspaced relation to the mailing piece, means for interconnecting saidlaterally disposed wings in said latter position,- and indicia carriedby the mailing piece adapted tobe viewed'by the lenses in the latterposition. r 2. In a device of the character described, an

envelope having an open end, a pair-of trans- 3 versely spacedwindowsin' one side' of said envelope adjacent said open end, a pair of lenses,a support for said lenses hinged on said one side for selectivemovements to an extendedposition for viewing said windows and acollapsed position contiguous said one side, and

a strip of indicia bearing material in said, envelope longitudinallyslidable therefrom to suc cess'ive'ly present the indicia thereon insaid win-' dows' for viewing the same through said lenses. vI 3. 'In 'adevice of the character described, an envelope having an open end, apair'of transversely spaced-Windows in one'side'of said envelopeadjacent said open end, a pair of lenses, a support for said lenseshinged on'said one side for selective movements to an' extended positionfor' viewing said'winclows and a collapsed position contiguous said oneside, and a strip of indicia bearing material in said envelopelongitudinally slidable therefrom to successively present the indiciathereon in said windows for viewin'g:the same through said lenses, thebody of said 'envelope extending below the extended hinged support forforming a handle by which the device may be supported for'use; a

4. Ina'device of the character described; an envelope having-- an openend, a pair of transverselv'spaced windows in'one side of said envelopeadjacent said open end,a"pair of lenses, a support forsaid lenseshinged on said one side for' selective movements to an extended positionfor viewing said windows and a collapsed position contiguous said oneside, a strip of indicia bearing-material in said envelopelongitudinally slid able therefrom-to successively present the indiciathereon" in saidwindows'for viewing the same through said lenses, andlateral flaps'hinged on said'envelope and foldable over said'lenses andtheir support for maintaining them in collapsed position against saidone side.

- BRANSON.

